Hypothetically.....

[AMG-Al]

Lets say you have had a chat with Les Gendarmes en route to Spain and the kind chaps have relieved you of a significant amount of Euro AND your driving licence........

Paddy the Polis said he had to send it to his head office within 72hrs but then he was unsure if it was sent to the British Embassy, to Swansea or directly back to my address in the UK.

Does anyone have any experience of this villainy?

 

[grober]

Driving in France - an introduction - FrenchEntre.com
Sounds as if the instant confiscation of licence thing is true.

 

[grober]

Driving in France - an introduction - FrenchEntre.com
Sounds as if the instant confiscation of licence thing is true. [ think 40kph over the limit its automatic ] This could lead to your vehicle being temporarily impounded if no alternative driver with a valid licence is available http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/touring_tips/france-monaco.pdf

if you want to be really depressed read this thread!! http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=183277&d=11205.43654&nmt=

 

[AMG-Al]

Believe me..............

 

[Dieselman]

if you want to be really depressed read this thread!! Some advice on speeding in France....

Isn't pistonheads great...

That guy who thought he could get away with driving his Fezza at high speed. nearly cost him the £160k car.

How fast does anyone think a C63 can go on the le-mans run...?
Still paying for a car on 3 year lease won't be much fun, especially if one is in the clink for 6 months.

 

[Dieselman]

Does anyone have any experience of this villainy?

What villainy, speeding?

 

[AMG-Al]

What villainy, speeding?

Indeed, and the licence recovery procedure that follows.

 

[Dieselman]

Indeed, and the licence recovery procedure that follows.

What's the issue about the licence confiscation for foreign drivers. The other option is to put them in prison until it is sorted.

 

[markjay]

A friend in France had his (French registered) S-Class impounded by police last year - something to do with him not having the correct car documents on him when stopped by police - he only had the car for a couple of weeks - took him a week or so to obtain the documents and get his car back. They can be very difficult over there...

 

[AMG-Al]

What's the issue about the licence confiscation for foreign drivers. The other option is to put them in prison until it is sorted.

I have no issue with it whatsoever, it is their rules and I fell foul of them.

All I was asking was if anyone had any experience of the procedure to get my licence back as the friendly Gendarme was unsure.

 

[AMG-Al]

Just to tidy this up - when I arrived home yesterday I found a recorded delivery letter from the Gendarmes on the mat. It contained my licence, confirmation of a 3 month driving ban and also a note of the amount of my fine, which coincidentally was EXACTLY the same as Paddy the Police took off me a couple of weeks ago.

Armed with this knowledge I think it may be easier just to avoid being caught in the future

 

[Sp!ke]

do you have to declare the ban to your insurance company I wonder?

 

[AMG-Al]

My broker checked for me whilst away and advice from ABI says there is no requirement to notify UK insurers. I have told him anyway so we shall see come renewal time.
Can't imagine the Meerkats would understand if I tried to fill that in online tho'

 

[MB-BTurbo]

Most insurance companies dont acknowledge no claims discounts earned abroad so its only makes sense that they dont count convictions either.

 

[martin_a]

Most insurance companies dont acknowledge no claims discounts earned abroad so its only makes sense that they dont count convictions either.

These are the same insurance companies that don't take account of say... no claims earned on a bike but will jack up the premium for any claims on aforementioned policy.

If there is money in it for them then they are interested, if it might lead to a lower premium, they don't want to know.

I suspect it's only a matter of time before a linking of databases makes it possible to get your licensed endorsed all over the place.

m.